1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for suspending an exhaust pipe under the floor of vehicles.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The exhaust pipe mounted under the floor of a vehicle such as an automobile is generally suspended by a flexible suspension device so as to impede the transmission of the engine vibration to the floor of the passenger compartment through the exhaust pipe and to allow for a smooth thermal expansion of the exhaust pipe, since otherwise it will cause an unpleasant humming or an undue thermal stress in the pipe or the suspension means. Among such devices for flexibly suspending exhaust pipes in vehicles there is known a device comprising a first rod member having a hooked end portion and mounted to a frame of the vehicle, a second rod member having a hooked end portion and mounted to the exhaust pipe and a block element made of a rubber-like elastic material having two holes each receiving one of the two hooked end portions of said first and second rod members. This conventional device is very simple in structure and yet accomplishes the purpose of providing a flexible suspension which isolates transmission of vibration and heat. However, in conventional devices of this type, the hooked end portions of the first and second rod members are generally arranged to be straight and parallel with each other and, consequently, the block element can easily rotate around the hooked end portion of the first or second rod member when the vehicle body sways in driving thereby causing a swinging motion of the exhaust pipe or even bumping of the exhaust pipe against adjacent structures or members which will generate an abnormal sound or cause damage to the exhaust pipe or the adjacent structures or members. These problems may be avoided by providing a proper detent means between the rod members and the block element or by bonding the hooked end portions to the block element. However, these methods will increase the number of parts or will require additional work thereby increasing the manufacturing cost and will reduce the principal advantage of the simple suspension device of the aforementioned type.